Saturday, 25 January 2014

‘1:1’: Taming the Idiom in Today’s Language Classroom

Peter has
over 30 years experience as a teacher of French and German, and is currently a
member of the board of OpenExam and a director of Schoolshape Ltd.

For
enrichment of students’ language learning, idioms are an important addition to
the teacher’s toolbox. Idiomatic language can be as useful and diverting as
games, poems, songs, drama, video and tongue-twisters. They are also a subtle
gateway to the all-important understanding of a foreign culture.

The
advent of ‘1:1’ (each student having an online device) has prompted new
strategies for introducing new material. With the ‘flipped classroom, for example, students are
encouraged to ‘think around’ the new subject matter, using online tools such Language
Lab software and multimedia online worksheets containing audio, video and exercises, to
support learning and encourage collaboration.

Why idioms?

So, why
should idioms be presented to young linguists seeking to extend their linguistic
and cultural knowledge?

Idioms
are an important and enjoyable part of language and communication. They help to
focus students’ attention on the imaginative side of communication, to dig
beneath straightforward dictionary meanings, and launch them on the high seas
of figurative language. They also offer a challenging way for students to
develop their productive writing and all-important oracy skills.

Four good reasons for putting idioms on the agenda:

1. They
can provide a way to improve the style and quality of students' written and
spoken language. There will be many who will want to use such delightful
francophone expressions as ‘appuyer sur le champignon’, ‘casser les pieds à
quelqu'un’ and ‘avoir un chat dans la gorge’. Others may seek to use more
complex figurative expressions.

2. They
are a useful addition to the teacher's assessment toolbox ... a good way to
sort the wheat from the chaff amongst students.

3. They
help to provide a springboard for discussion of culture differences, personalities and sensibilities of nationalities,
as reflected in their language.

4. Their
introduction will, at the very least, provide some light relief and enrich
discussion in the classroom.

When to introduce idioms?

Plunging
students too early and too abruptly into the ‘deep end’ of figurative language
can be counterproductive. The timing of their introduction is a delicate
matter. Premature exposure can be fraught with misunderstandings, even in the
students’ native language, and the potential quagmire of idiomatic language can
be a daunting prospect.

The new
‘1:1’ strategies allow the teacher to be very precise about timing. Students
can work from an agenda or ‘to do list’ on their online device, controlled by
the teacher. This will display tasks appropriate for them individually, guiding
them into new material which they can tackle on their own terms and in their
own time. As tasks and worksheets can
be online, the teacher can monitor progress, and see
precisely the subsequent support required in the classroom.

How to deploy Idioms

So what
is the best, clearest and safest method of unleashing idioms in the language
classroom? How are foreign language teachers to explain the meaning of idiom
with the greatest economy and clarity, by providing structured tasks which will
help students to improve their language skills?

What to avoid

A ‘cold’
introduction to a complex or potentially difficult topic, particularly to a
mixed ability class, can be counterproductive. The level of understanding will
vary from one student to the next according to their respective abilities and
learning styles. The ‘chalk and talk lecture' is a blunt instrument and class
discussions are prone to red herrings. Much valuable time can be wasted when
some members of a class are ready for the discussion and others are not,
resulting in uncertain levels of comprehension and little tangible achievement.

A better way

‘1:1’
strategies, and the ‘flipped classroom’ method allow students to study the new
material in their own time before doing follow-up work under the direct
supervision of the teacher. This method has a ‘warm-up’ effect, allowing each
student time to think around the subject in their own time, collaborate with
peers, and, crucially, try the language out for themselves.

Key teaching elements

Using an online language lab, the teacher
can assign multimedia worksheets, adapting the content to the right level to
suit the various levels of ability and achievement of the students. As students
work on the material by watching and responding to video etc., the teacher can
check how they are coping with their initial exposure to the subject matter,
and see who is showing signs of using the new language correctly. With
preliminary exposure to idiomatic language thus absorbed, students will be
ready and more confident for subsequent activity in the classroom.

In class
the teacher will then be able to adopt a more individual approach, with slower
students finishing their online work, and more able students working on more complex
idiomatic language and structures.

(a)
explain in theory how idiomatic language works. This could be a simple written
explanation such as:

‘Idioms
are expressions or sayings that do not make sense when translated word for
word, but have meaning to a native speaker. They often carry certain cultural
nuances that are relevant for native speakers’

(b)
illustrate the meaning, literal and/or figurative, using a graphic

(c)
provide opportunities to think about alternatives for translation into English

(d) give
written and spoken examples, both in the students’ mother tongue and in the
target language.

(e)
provide opportunities for hearing and repeating the idiom in common usage and
then speaking and writing it in context.

Introducing
idioms in this way should help to preempt problematic questions such as: ‘How
do I translate one idiom with another idiom? or ‘What does Je me casse la
tête mean?’

This
method will also hopefully whet appetites for learning more idiomatic phrases.

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About Me

Head of Modern Languages in the North West of England,French & Spanish specialist with experience of Primary French & Spanish, German & EAL, Oldham SLN Lead Teacher, Regional Secondary Adviser 2009-10 for the Association for Language Learning and member of ALL's executive council, Language Consultant and Trainer for Links into Languages (until March 2011), Proofreader, qualified Translator and Interpreter (ESUCA, Toulouse University, France).